The trio was donated by Sheik Khalid Hamad Al Thani, son of Qatar’s ruling emir. He received the cubs’ parents as a gift from the country of Sudan a few years ago.

The lions bred and the female died after a difficult birth. With the lion family having doubled in size, the sheik contacted zoos in the U.S. that could better meet the needs of this lion pride.

The cubs will reside at Denver Zoo until they are larger and their long-term plan has been determined. The zoo’s Predator Ridge exhibit is already home to six adult lions, three males and three females.

The Denver Zoo does not have enough room for all their lions and the cubs.

The cubs are not related to any lions in AZA zoos and do not share any recent African ancestry, thus providing valuable unique genetics for shared breeding programs.